The Locket
by The1Russter
Summary: John and Cameron are late home from school. John gives his mom a card and apologizes for his behavior after learning Sarah nearly gave up being his mom. John use the card purchase to hide the fact he bought Cameron a heart shaped locket. Tin-miss has a heart. - A slow build up to a post BTR romance of John & Cameron. Rating will change as story progresses. 8 or more Ch's.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes**

In 2010, I posted the first story of what became an annual Valentine's Day story, with each new part posted close to Valentine's Day each year.

In preparation for 2013, I began writing that edition the previous summer and fall. It grew long and I posted the first half of it for Valentine's Day 2013. I wasn't happy with it. So I wrote a new story and posted it April of 2013. I loved it and in a rush of fresh ideas from my imagination following that new story, I wrote 3 additional parts for Valentine's Day. I realized right there I could no longer let it continue as an annual story, that it was time to turn the collection into it's own short story. This story, The Locket. I hope to post each new chapter every 6 to 8 weeks, with the last chapter being posted on or close to Valentine's Day 2015 in keeping with the theme this story began with in 2010.

Bringing the parts of the story together into a single short story will have its benefits and its drawbacks, but overall I think it will be best for the story. The story is the most important thing in this equation. Not you, not me, but the story. I always put the story ahead of what I want from the story, or you want from the story. The story, once it grows beyond those first few shaky lines of text, is its own being. It is what it is. Only through careful pruning and grafting, can I shape it into something that puts out good fruit, but I can't change the peach tree into an apple tree.

Please take the time to read and enjoy,

**The Locket**

Chapter 1

# # #

_Setting based on a deleted scene and the final minutes from S01E06 Dungeons and Dragons. Assume everything that you observed in the series before this scene occurred as shown._

# # #

Derek lies resting on the kitchen table. His breathing is as steady as his heartbeat as he sleeps from a mild sedative administered half an hour ago by EMT Charley Dixon.

Having made his goodbyes with Sarah outside, Charley checks his patient one more time. He has to leave soon, with no idea how to explain his absence or his missing supplies to his superiors, but he's confidant he'll come up with something. It's not like others haven't come short on supplies for no reason.

Confidant that Derek Reese is as good as he'll be anywhere outside of a hospital, he decides to make his goodbyes with John. After speaking with Sarah, he may not have another chance to talk with John. He knows John is a great kid. Its hard for him to imagine John as a world leader and great general. To him John is just a kid, and maybe for him that's who he needs to be right now.

Charley enters the living room to find that John has already packed up the gear in their proper containers and has disposed of the bloody bandages and used materials. John was a quick learner and always very efficient at using the equipment. He had some idea John might become an EMT like himself, after he and Sarah had married, and John had grown up, but that dream was as empty as the dream of Sarah and him marrying.

He finds it hard to believe that John looks no different than he did just eight years ago when Sarah ran out on him. Time travel, a computer bent on world domination and machines from the future that look like hot eighteen year old girls. He shakes his head in disbelief, while John and Sarah seem to take it all in stride.

Charley sees John smile at him. There is so much he'd like to ask him, but where should he begin?

_Cameron, terminators, and what did the girl call it?_

"So a, uh, cybernetic organism over a hyper-alloy combat chassis?"

John smiles, "That's what she says."

Charley frowns, as a question forms in his mind. "She, ahh, that's kind of weird. Isn't it? Because she isn't really a she. Um, she's not really anything."

John just grins, and nods his head in a kind of an agreement.

"But I guess you get used to her, right? You end up looking at her like she's a normal girl."

"Normal?" John says with a hint of laughter in his voice as he shakes his head, "Nah, definitely not normal."

"But I, um, I, um, guess its easy to forget, what she is, the more she is around." Charley probes gently. He knows John, but this situation is so strange to Charley, so weird, that he has to be reassured.

"Are you asking if I like her, as um, like, like her?" John laughs nervously, shakes his head. "Nah, man come on. That's insane."

"Is it?" Charley sits down on sofa, ignoring the fact that its past time for him to go back to work or back home. "Don't forget, I used to see you down to the bike shop with that girl."

"What girl?" John asks. For himself, it might have only been several weeks since he and Charley worked on the motorcycle together, but so much has happened these last few weeks he can't remember any girl.

Charley gives John a knowing look. "The girl, down at the parts counter. The one with the tattoo right there." Charley points at the side of his neck with his right hand.

John grins bashfully finally remembering the girl. She must have been sixteen or eighteen and he just couldn't work up the nerve to ask her out.

"How many times did you and I go back for just the right brake pad?"

John laughs remembering all the stupid excuses and reasons he gave Charley for going back to that shop, only once he got there, he lost all his nerve and talked with the girl about brake pads again.

Sarah is standing outside watching John and Charley talk through the window. She can't hear what's being said. She smiles at first, then looks sad, realizing what was lost by not staying with Charley, of being whole, of being a family. But she couldn't stay. She couldn't put his life in danger.

Her eyes dart to the old garage. Inside is the reminder of why she ran, dragging John with her. The machines. They never stop coming. Sarah is like the little Dutch boy sticking his fingers in the leaking dike. Just when you think you all the holes are stopped up, another leak appears. They stopped this hole, but it won't be long until water begins to pouring through again.

Back inside, Charley finally makes his goodbyes.

"Now, um," He looks at his watch, "I've got to go."

John nods his head and they both get up from the sofa.

"I just hope it isn't another eight years."

"It's only been a month."

Charley mentally struggles for a second. "Yeah, right. Well, um, I don't want to think to hard on that." He says while struggling to fathom time travel.

"Feels like a lot longer." John says reassuring his friend and mentor.

"Well, um hey!" They clasp hands and Charley pulls John into a hug. "Don't forget what she is. Okay?"

Charley picks up his bags and cases and walks out the room. Passing John he says, "Look after your mom."

Charley heads outside. Sarah meets him at the steps and takes a one of his cases to carry to the gate. She may not want him to come around again, but she can show him common courtesy. She owes him that much at the very least.

Cameron walks in the backdoor, saunters past the sleeping Derek Reese, and into the living room. Despite carving up the cyborg they captured, and burning its endoskeleton, Cameron looks as calm and serene as if she was just out for a stroll, not that John could imagine her doing that.

"Has Charley left?" She asks, before seeing him through the window climb into his truck. He gives Sarah a brief wave and drives off. In the distance she sees storm clouds begin to brew.

John looks at the cold almost flat expression on the cyborg's face. He knows what Cameron has been up to in the garage. The pungent odor of burnt metal and blood hangs around Cameron like a cloud. _What could possibly happen for him to see Cameron as anything other than a machine?_

"There's a storm coming." Cameron says, referring to the gathering clouds and gusty breeze outside.

John turns to look outside. Sarah and Charley are saying their final goodbyes. Beyond them, clouds are gathering on the horizon. John can't help but think of the greater storm surrounding them and who will he call on to be his companion, his friend, as the threat of Skynet surrounds him?

"I'm going to shower and change." Cameron announces.

John turns his head around quickly. She was still there, standing beside him, watching those same storm clouds rolling in. _What was she thinking as she gazed upon those clouds? Can she draw comparisons between a simple thing as a thunderstorm and the shadow of __S__kynet that looms over them all?_

"Sure. I'll stay here. Keep and eye on Derek," is all John says. _They'll die. They will all die to keep me alive, and I will go alone into __that storm unless we stop it__._

Cameron turns and walks away, her long legs giving the appearance of equestrian strides. John watches her and realizes, she will survive. _Cameron can survive anything. She would stay with me, right on to the end. And I don't have to like her, like her, __for that to happen__. _

He hears his name called from the Kitchen. He walks in to find Derek in a semi-conscious state, acting out some dream or memory, and calling his name and Kyle's. Recalling his mom having dreams like that after Cyberdyne, John pulls up a chair and sits and talks to Derek, eventually bringing him out of his dream.

The front door closes sharply and Sarah walks in, hearing John talking in the Kitchen, she takes the hallway down to the mudroom and enters the kitchen from behind John.

"He was a soldier." John is saying, "And he was..."

John pauses seeing his mom enter the room."

"He was a hero." John says, his voice breaking, "He was a hero."

He gives his uncle's hand a squeeze and leaves, choking back the tears.

Sarah gives Derek a quick glance and follows John into the living room.

"You can't tell him." she says.

"I didn't! I won't." John shoots back.

She sees the deep haunted longing on Johns face.

"Does Cameron know?"

"What?" John scowls. "No. She doesn't know. She just rattled off Kyle's rank, commanding officer and unit, and serials number. And, um, that he disappeared in a mission."

Sarah, gives a curt nod to her head.

"Where's the tin-miss now?"

John looks at her sharply. That jibe again. His mom mostly uses it when Cameron is around, and he's seen the tiny front lines form around her eyes when Sarah says it. Cameron knows it's an insult, but does she feel the insult? And if Cameron can feel that, can she feel other things? He doesn't know, and he also doesn't know if we would want to know if she did.

"Shower. I think. I've got schoolwork." John answers his mother, with an edge to his voice as he marches off to his room. Mom can look after Derek.

Sarah looks after her son's departing back, worried of not ever being able to provide the kind of life John should have, while protecting him from life he will or might have. Cameron does not make things easier for her. If Sarah only understood why her son in the future would send Cameron of all possible machines to protect himself now.

"Why John?" she asks, and there is no one there to answer her.

Quietly, she walks into the kitchen and looks upon the face of Derek Reese. He's asleep again. So much like his brother in appearance, yet different too.

Not wanting to leave him alone for too long, she retrieves a rifle from her stash and the cleaning supplies. Making space for herself at the dining table, Sarah begins to take apart the rifle to clean it. For her its a form of maintaining control, some sanity. If the guns are okay, then she'll be okay. Its her mantra.

John walks into the room. He came back realizing today of all days was not the time for him to be a dick, but seeing his mom sitting at the dining table cleaning the gun, well maybe now was not the time. He tries to leave as quietly as he came, but Sarah knew he was there. He barely has a chance to move when she embraces him, and he suddenly realizes, that he needs this too and hugs his mother.

Today has been hard for them both, and they've just manage to pull through it together.

Cameron sees them from the other room. They don't notice her, engaged as they are in their embrace.

Sarah's face looks sad, and so does John's. Cameron thinks a hug should bring some joy or happiness. Maybe the happiness is inside, when they are sad on the outside.

Cameron frowns. No one has ever hugged her.

Humans are afraid of her. Well, at least the humans who know what she is are afraid. Another machine wouldn't be afraid, but they wouldn't be curious about such things as hugging like she is. It would be a rare machine indeed that would like to be embraced by a human or would embrace human, for purposes other than killing the human. It would be rarer still to find two machines who would want to hug each other, or would find purpose in such an act.

Cameron knows she's different than the other machines. She knows that intrinsically. The T-800's, the T-850's and the T-888's all have the same software for observing and learning human behavior for the capacity of blending in better, but she's different.

John and Sarah are separating now. They are smiling. So the hug does make you feel happy. Cameron understands now. Happiness comes after the hug.

Cameron frowns, as only she can. She wishes someone would hug her, so she can feel what its like to be happy, but it's probably not as simple as that for her.

By the time John and Sarah go their separate ways, Cameron is back in her room. Alone.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_S01E07 The Demon Hand_ follows this as is, with no additional material by me. Chapter 2 will be next. It will be based on Valentine's Day (part 1) posted on February 11, 2010. You may want to try reading ahead, but that story will be revised somewhat to make it fit in better with the continuity* of the series and the story I'm telling.

If you haven't caught on by reading the annual Valentine's Day stories, I'm attempting to write a story that adds on to the existing episodes without changing what we saw on on TV. At best I hope to entertain you, especially the romantics and the Jamerons, at worst I hope to add some embellishment, some deeper meaning perhaps, to what we've already experienced on TV without detracting too much from that experience.

Thank you,

Russ

* As we know, the creators of TSCC took some liberties with continuity regarding the passage of time in the series, and relating to when events took place in T1 & T2 despite clear and accurate reference materials besides the films themselves. When writing fanfics, its hard to ignore this disparity especially when the story ties into events in the series, and especially when those events are said to take place at a time of year which contradicts the base information from the films that preceded the story. So despite my best efforts, there may be times when continuity takes second place in order to weave my story in with established canon. I'll try not to disturb things too much, or at least not any more than the creators of TSCC. :) Things would have been easier if they didn't reference dates at all within the series except at the very beginning and at the very end.

**Additional: Feb 27, 2013:** After reading through the next chapters, I decided to write new material and edit them accordingly. I think it makes for a better order of events.

** In reviewing some episodes I've rediscovered some clear references to the current date. For example, when Cameron looks at the evidence box in The Demon Hand, there is a checkout sheet on the outside of the box revealing when various departments check the box in and out of evidence. The dates strongly suggest the events in Dungeons and Dragons took place in mid-October 2007. However, three episodes later and its John's Birthday, which means they covered a lot of weeks really quickly, because two episodes into Season 2 and two days after John's Birthday is November 16th. I thought maybe that could be explained by their using John's fake ID birthday date to celebrate, but then I uncovered a picture of the fake birth certificate used in registering John Baum for school and the date is in June. Sigh! Things would have been so much nicer if they never showed or mentioned specific dates at all, outside of the pilot and when Judgment day would happen. I much prefer John's birthday to be in February as set by T2. However, the dates, both shown and mentioned, offered a framework to set my chapters in and around. I've even managed to come up with a reason why John's Birthday is being celebrated November 14th despite police records showing it to be February 28th. So you have that to look forward too.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not claim any rights to the Terminator films; the TV series, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," or any characters depicted within the films or TV series. I do claim the right to this story idea and all characters and situations of my own creation. This story was created solely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of others. No profits are garnered from its distribution.

**Author's Notes:** This chapter based on my original one shot, Valentine's Day Part 1. I've had to make some changes to it to fit within this new story, and I've added some new scenes. The Setting is after S01E07 "The Demon Hand." The date is Monday, November 5, 2007.

* * *

**The Locket**

Chapter 2

# # #

_According to philosophers and poets the heart is the seat of human emotion. According to medical science, it's just a muscle pumping blood throughout our body. If medical science is right, then is our brain, our mind, just a biological computer determining what we fear, or love, what we hate or like, what makes us angry or sad._

_What then is the human soul? The machines don't appreciate art or music, but then why does Cameron listen to classical music and dance on naked feet?_

_What separates us from the machines has to be something inside of us! It has to be something so inherently human, so strongly seated at the core of our being, that no machine can ever possess it._

_The human heart. The seat of human emotion. Because no machine can love without it. _

– _Sarah Connor_

# # #

Sarah is sitting in an easy chair in the living room reading a book about the terrorists attacks on Nine-eleven. Since first learning of it from Carlos and his crew, the day she and Cameron went shopping for new identities, she'd been curious to learn more.

She turns the book face-down on the arm of the chair, a grim expression on her face. If she hadn't time jumped over that event, if she was still here when that occurred, then she might have well believed that the judgment day Kyle Reese described to her all those years ago was happening. Passenger jets are sophisticated now, they can fly and land without a pilot at the controls. She might have believed the planes had flown themselves into the buildings, and terrorists used as an excuse to cover up Skynet. She would have believed that the things she and John and that machine from the future, had done to try and stop it four years previously, was all for nothing.

Sarah isn't sure what she would have done if she were here at that time. She can only find some sort of relief that she wasn't here on Nine-eleven. That the time jump Cameron created for them in the bank vault saved her life twice.

Beside her, on the sofa, Derek lets out a soft groan. Yesterday was Sunday, and for the first time since getting shot by that terminator, he'd done more than just lounge about the house and yard. Sarah warned him that he was doing too much, but Derek was even more stubborn than herself and refused to listen. Today he was paying for his overexertion and was sleeping with the benefits of some medications Charlie had left for him.

Today, Derek is quiet. Yesterday, John was quiet. One of the quietest Sundays Sarah has known. John had taken the revelation that Sarah almost gave up being his mom pretty hard. Though at the time she signed the papers, she thought it was over. The mission and her life was over.

Drowning in a sea of medications forced down her throat each day by Dr. Silberman's minions, she felt nothing but despair and depression for her own future. She was trapped, but John was free. It just seemed so easy. A new life for John. A new name for John. Even his official records were wrong, thanks to her lies. If the machines came again, how would they find him? But before the ink could even dry on the form she signed, before the couple who were taking care of him could sign the adoption papers, police arrived and showed her evidence that the machines were back, and John was in danger.

Sarah sits up suddenly in her chair. _Where is John?_

Sarah, looks at her watch. John is late. If it weren't for that book, she might have noticed his lateness even sooner.

Forcing the panic down deep inside, Sarah pulls out her cell phone to call him. She's just about to hit dial, when John and Cameron walk in through the back door.

John places his back pack on the kitchen table and shouts, "Hey Mom! We're home!" before opening the fridge door and sticking his head and upper body inside.

Cameron remains standing by the kitchen table the shoulder strap to her book bag just slipping off her shoulder.

Trying to hide her relief, Sarah comes to the kitchen door and watches her son rummage through the fridge like a Saint Bernard digging for a survivor of an avalanche.

"Quiet. Derek's sleeping and you're late." She says leaning against the door. "Why didn't you call?"

"John stopped at the store on the way home." Cameron says as she lets her bag finally rest on the table.

"We're out of turkey." John says, exiting the fridge with a loaf of bread, a jar of mustard, pickles, and a package of sliced ham.

"Dinner is in three hours. What was so important you had to stop at the store without calling? You know the rules."

"I didn't have lunch, and I know the rules, Mom." He says placing his arm load on the counter. "But sometimes you have to break a rule once in a while. Besides, I had Cameron with me. Not like anything is going to happen to me with her around, is there?" John gives his mom a winning smile.

Sarah just grunts. "A word with you tin-miss." She says glaring at the machine.

Cameron follows Sarah into the living room while John makes himself a sandwich.

"You know the rules when it comes to John. You are to come straight home from school with no stops unless cleared with me."

"John was safe. He wasn't in any danger." Cameron says looking at her sincerely.

Sarah isn't sure how she does it, using her eyes like some sad little puppy.

"There are rules, Cameron. These rules are setup to protect him. To protect John. Now what was so important he had to stop at the store without telling me?"

"He didn't say."

"Didn't you go in with him?"

"I went inside and chose a position from which I could see both the front and rear exits. I could also follow John's movement in the security mirrors."

Sarah frowns. "Good enough I suppose. Couldn't help but notice that neither one of you said what he bought at the store?"

Cameron just looks at her. "I do not know."

"Humph. Tell John not to eat too much, it will spoil his dinner."

"Perhaps, that is why he is eating now." Cameron says tilting her head to one side. General Connor's stories about his mom's cooking were well known amongst the resistance.

Sarah's jaw drops, then clenches.

Displaying a tiny grin Cameron returns to the kitchen to find that John has not only finished making his sandwich, but devouring it as well.

"Do you want my help with your math homework?" Cameron asks as she sits beside him at the table.

"Nah. I'm okay. I actually understand this chapter. I suppose all of this comes easy to you?" John asks tapping his pencil on the page he's reading.

"Yes."

"Not much for modesty are you?" John says grinning at her.

"No, but I never saw the purpose in hiding my abilities when I am around those who know me." She glances at his page of schoolwork. "Your answer to problem five is wrong."

John chuckles. "Perhaps I do need your help." He scratches the back of his head. "How would you solve this problem then?"

"Not like you did."

"Ha ha, funny." John smirks. "Are you going to help or just make fun of me?"

Cameron slides her chair closer and takes the pencil from his hand. In a few minutes they are both doing their schoolwork at the kitchen table until Sarah returns to make supper.

# # #

After dinner, John carries his bag from the kitchen through the living room, where Sarah is sitting reading her book again.

Derek is still asleep.

"Hey mom." John speaks softly. "How's he doing?"

"Pretty good actually. Its just he's overdid it yesterday with the exercise. He's been bleeding again." Sarah replies in the same soft tone.

"You want me to call Charlie?"

"I don't think its necessary, beside the bleeding stopped, but I'm going to have to buy you both some new shirts. Blood stains are hard to remove and people might ask you questions if you wore shirts with blood on them."

"I could say its from a sports injury."

"You don't play sports."

"Nothing for school, but it doesn't mean it didn't happen in the park, or at home."

"True, but better to turn the shirts into dusters and buy you some new ones."

Sarah smiles at John. He smiles back. She asks, "So, what did you go to the store for?"

John pulls a brightly colored envelope out of his book bag. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was stopping at the store, but... I got you this today."

Sarah sits up giving her son a crooked grin. She takes the envelope from him and opens the envelope. Inside is a simple little Thank You Card.

"I think this is the first card you've given to me." Sarah smiles at her son. "What's the thank you for?"

John just grins and shrugs his shoulder. "Well, I just wanted to apologize for being so ratty the last couple of days. I can't understand what you went through at Pescadero. You must have thought you were doing the right thing."

Sarah gets up and gives her son a hug. "I'm sorry John. I truly am. I thought it was right, but I didn't want to do it. Then the police came in an hour later with evidence one of those machines chasing you, and I knew with certainty I was wrong."

"I know mom. Do you think it was a setup by Silberman? Get you to give me up, then present you with news that someone was after me, just to get you to react?"

"I don't know. I wouldn't put it past Dr. Silberman to do something like that. I think he cared more about having a celebrity patient than helping me, not that I needed help. If caught while trying to escape, I could have remained under his 'care' for years."

"Well, it's behind us now."

"Is it?" Sarah asks with worried eyes.

"Yeah, mom, it is."

She pulls him into another hug and ruffles his hair. "I love you kid."

"Love ya too, mom."

At that moment, Cameron walks through from the kitchen. "The dishes are done. It's your turn tomorrow John."

Both John and Sarah follow her with their eyes as she walks past, both thinking different thoughts. "Did you get anything for the tin-miss?"

"Don't you think you could lay-off the verbal jibes for once? I don't think she likes it." John snaps back, the good mood suddenly soured.

"Oh. Has she told you this? Or is it because you don't like it?"

"I don't like it, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't either. It's like you always have to remind her what she is. Cameron knows what she is and I know what she is too."

Sarah purses her lips. It's not Cameron she's trying to remind.

"I've got to go mom. English assignment tonight."

"What are you studying?"

"Uh." John grins sheepishly. "Shakespeare, um Romeo and Juliet."

"That reminds me." John shoves his hand into his bag and pulls out a folded form. "Our class is required to attend this thing. It's at the school, tomorrow evening. I was supposed to give you this Friday, but with all that went on, I forgot."

John quickly leaves and Sarah collapses into the chair with a sigh.

"You've got a good kid there." Derek says from the sofa.

Sarah jumps slightly, "How long you've been awake?"

"Not long. He's growing too attached to the machine. It needs burning." Derek sits up. "Do I smell food?"

"Your dinner is in the oven." Sarah says, her fears resurfacing as she thinks of the very comely female cyborg staying with them, and passing as her daughter.

Derek leaves for the kitchen, not even looking back, or seemingly caring about the fears he awoken in Sarah's mind.

John is going down the hall to his bedroom. He passes Cameron's room to see that she has begun pulling out a change of clothes for her ballet exercises.

He leans in her door and whispers, "Hey, have you've got a moment?"

"Yes." Cameron responds, coming to attention. "Do you require help with your English assignment, too."

"Nah, I think I got that. Um, I bought you something today." John says reaching into his book bag as he enters her room. "Thought I should give it to you now."

He hands her a simple black box. She takes it from him gently and opens the lid to reveal a gold heart shaped locket on a chain.

"It's only gold plated. It's all I could afford." John says grinning, a warm blush coloring his cheeks.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"Well, um, I just thought you'd like something special. And um," John moves closer to her and lowers his voice, "Mom always has to imply you don't have a heart. So I thought I would give you one." John takes the chain and puts it around her neck. "Now if mom should throw one of her jibes at you, you will have the locket."

"Like the Tin-man in the 'Wizard of Oz'."

"Yeah. Just like that." John smiles.

"Thank you. This is the first gift anyone has ever given me." She says smiling at him.

John didn't think he could blush anymore than he had. "Yeah, um, your welcome. Don't tell mom, would ya? She'd go ballistic if she knew I spent money on you, especially for something other than bullets or guns."

"I won't. It will be our secret." She says then frowns. "But I didn't get you anything."

"That's okay Cam. You do enough every day just looking out for me."

She nods her head. "What should I put in the locket?"

"I hadn't thought of that." John rubs his head thinking. "Some memento, I guess. Some girls have a picture of their boyfriend, some have a small lock of someone's hair, even a picture of a celebrity they like. Just put something inside it that reminds you of someone or something that's important to you."

Cameron smiles, "Thank you for explaining." She then does the unexpected and gives John a quick kiss on his cheek.

John looks surprised.

"That is the appropriate response when a girl is given a gift from boy, isn't it?" She asks with wide eyed innocence. "I saw a girl do that at school last week."

"Well, um," John grins with embarrassment, "Yes it is. Just don't do that when mom is around. She'd _really_ freak out, and with Derek here, well, you know."

She then turns about and begins unbuttoning her shirt. "Would you close the door on your way out?" She says. "I'm going to change into my ballet clothes now."

"Oh, yeah, sure." John says quickly, the warm blush getting even redder.

As he begins his writing assignment, he hears the soft melodic tunes of Sergei Prokofiev ballet, Romeo and Juliet. Their English teacher, Mr. Amidon, played some the music during his lecture and arranged for a presentation of the play that the whole school can attend.

_Leave it to Cameron to actually have a copy of the music_, he thinks as he wonders if his mom will let them attend the mandatory event for English class.

The music plays as John does his schoolwork. The gentle footfalls of Cameron dancing in her bedroom

# # #

Night time in Los Angeles. Office buildings glow from the lights left on in the offices. Highrise after highrise, empty but for the maintenance staff emptying wastebaskets, vacuuming floors, and cleaning bathrooms, kitchens and conference rooms.

Here and there is the occasional office worker putting in a late night, either trying to complete a project in time to meet a deadline, or to impress the boss, or both. There are also mangers, executives, and presidents holding meetings via the internet or phone with counterparts, competitors, clients, or partners in other places around the globe.

In one of these buildings, an executive is having a private meeting. Everyone has gone home, including the maintenance crew. The building is empty but for the female executive and a man for hire.

"They say you are a man who knows how to get things done, Mr. Walsh. That you are discreet but expensive."

"Quality has its price ma'am."

"Yes it does. You are highly recommended, but I must ask, have you had any failures?"

The man frowns slightly. "A couple of them. You can plan for every eventuality, but there will always be that one unexpected thing that throws off your plan. Failure is always a possibility no matter how well prepared you are."

She likes his answer and slides a folder across her glass topped desk toward the man sitting across from her.

"Well this is something in which failure is not an option."

The man picks up and opens the folder.

"The photographs on top shows a hard drive array. It holds the most sophisticated artificial intelligence ever created. I want it. I need you to find it for me."

"Background?"

She smiles, smart man, he could have asked any number of questions which he reduced all of them very efficiently to just one word.

"It's called 'The Turk' and was built by Andrew Goode, formerly an intern at Cyberdyne, most recently worked as a cell phone salesman. The photograph of the male with locks of wavy black hair is him. Mr. Goode entered it a few weeks ago in a chess contest sponsored by the United States Air Force. It lost. After the contest he was killed by a vagrant, and the Turk disappeared."

"What happened to this vagrant?"

"He was captured and charged. Any attempts by my people to question the police or FBI about him is ignored. It's like he disappeared. I'll leave it up to you to determine what that means."

He has one or two ideas. Either the man escaped or died while in custody in a manner that would embarrass the force if it got out, or he was let go due to lack of evidence but neither police nor FBI wants to alert the public before arresting the true suspect. He can think of twelve other possibilities before even delving into any weird conspiracy theories, but no matter how you paint it, it smells of a cover-up.

"And this other guy, who is he?" The bald man says picking up the photograph of an older male. All of the photos look a little grainy, like they were taken with a telescopic lens.

"His name is Dmitri Shipkov. According to the registration papers filed by Andrew Goode to compete in the chess tournament, Mr. Shipkov is the man who taught the AI how to play chess. Mr. Shipkov along with The Turk disappeared after the tournament. Recently Mr. Shipkov and his sister were killed in what the papers described as a mob hit in a low rent apartment. The newspaper clippings are inside. According to the information I've acquired, Mr. Shipkov was heavily in debt. I'm not one to tell you how to do your job, but I'd investigate him first. Acquiring The Turk is very important. I want you to find it for me, acquire it by any means possible and return it to me, here at this office."

"And by any means possible, you mean?"

"Any means." She says her unwavering gaze, showing deep resolve.

Catherine Weaver pulls out a manila envelope stuffed to bursting.

"Acquiring the Turk could be expensive. This should cover purchasing costs, manpower, equipment, whatever you need to do your job."

He takes the envelope, and opens it to look inside while she writes something down on a slip of paper.

"Does this cover my fee as well?" Mr. Walsh asks.

"No. I'll pay that upon delivery. Any money you have leftover, is yours to keep."

He nods his head.

"There could be others searching for The Turk. If there are, avoid them if possible. Of course, you might be able to use them to flush out The Turk, which could save you an inordinate amount of time, but I'm not one to tell you how to do your job. I care more about results."

Weaver holds out the slip of paper so Mr. Walsh can read it.

"This is my private cell number. You can reach me there at any time, night or day. Call me when you have something to report."

She lets the man read it, then crumples the paper and tosses it in the trash.

"No paper trail," she says. "You get me 'The Turk' and I'll have more jobs for you. If you fail..." She looks at him with such cold eyes, he almost turns down the job, but his greed wins over as he thinks of all that cash.

He is till shuddering, thinking of her eyes as he travels in the elevator to the ground floor. All he saw was death in those eyes. A cold black death. Failure is not an option.

Catherine Weaver picks up her phone and dials a number.

"Hello Jenny. Catherine Weaver. I'm heading home now. Yes my meeting is over. Tell Savannah I'll be home shortly. She's in bed all ready?" Weaver glances at the clock on the wall. It's almost midnight. "Yes, it is late. Goodbye."

As Mr. Walsh rides the elevator down to the parking garage level, he goes over the relevant points in the folder and begins to theorize.

Dmitri Shipkov and his sister killed in a mob hit. They are both Russian. Could the Russian Mob have done this? Why? Settling debt? Making an example of them both for others who owe them money.

If Skipkov owed money to the mob, then he probably stole the Turk to try and sell it to pay them back. Mr. Walsh glances at his picture and particulars. Doesn't look like the kind of guy with technical contacts. Something sophisticated like a working AI could sell for hundreds of thousand of dollars to the right buyer. This guy looks like he sold it to whomever he could find, and if he owed money to the Russian mob and he stole the Turk, it means he went black market. And if he went to the black market, he probably ended up selling it dirt cheap to the same people he owed money too. A vicious circle.

Sasha! The name springs to Mr. Walsh's mind.

He needs to call Sasha Anasenko to see if he's back in town. He hasn't worked with him since the Russian art exhibit case back in Baltimore, but if he's available he'll be the perfect help on this job.

By the time Mr. Walsh reaches the basement, he's almost completely forgotten the terror he felt from Mrs. Weaver's gaze. All he knows with bringing on board his Russian friend, the odds of succeeding will be more in his favor.

Reaching his car, Mr. Walsh pulls out his cell phone and begins to dial.

# # #

_There's an old saying that goes something like this, does your heart rule your head, or does you head rule your heart?_

_Basically it asks, does emotion control our actions and thinking, or does our thinking control our emotions and actions._

_I admit when it comes to protecting my son, my passion overrules my mind. I'm willing to kill to protect him and die to save him. But whenever I try to pull the trigger, John has always stepped in and stopped me. He is willing and ready to do all that I am, but his passions don't control him. Heart or head don't compete to control him, they rule together. _

_What then of the machine who has no heart? All of their decisions are based on logic. But if the philosophers are wrong and our brains determine our emotions, and our brains are just organic computers, then what of the machines? Do they learn emotion?_

_I remember the words of the Terminator, the one my son called Uncle Bob. "____I know now why you cry__. But it's something I can never do."_

_It knew emotion, but we burned it anyway, to save the future. What do I do with Cameron, if she does the same? __What do I do with John__?_ – Sarah Connor

# # #

The next morning, as John showers, he comes across some stubble of hair behind his left ear. Remembering what he told Cameron yesterday, he smiles.

In her bedroom, Cameron puts the locket around her neck. She takes a moment to open it and look at the small lock of John's hair she placed within it last night while he slept. With a gentle smile she closes it, and lets the locket drop underneath her shirt. Cameron leaves her room humming the melody from the ballet.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The next chapter occurs just prior to S01E08 "Vick's Chip." The chapter may also contain some scenes that occur within the same episode.

In an effort to work out the exact placement of my chapters in the time line in regards to the days depicted in the episodes, I took the time to watch the last three episodes of Season 1 repeatedly, and read the transcripts of the first two episodes of Season 2. I wrote a lot of notes and printed off a calender for November 2007. I wanted to work out how many days took place within each episodes, and whether those days shown took place on a weekday or weekend from the events depicted.

The only clear date reference was November 16, 2007, mentioned by both Sarah and Derek and also by John and Riley on the second day depicted within S02E02 "Automatic for the People." I worked backwards from that day, and based upon clues within the episodes, worked out which days of November the episodes covered. I knew from S01E07 "The Demon Hand" that it occurred after October 28, 2007, because that was the date James Ellison signed out the evidence box for Derek Reese's escape from captivity. Based on events within that episode, I placed it on Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3, 2008.

There is some leeway in the placement of some of the days depicted within each episode, but unless California has students go to school on weekends, any day that shows either John or Cameron or both, at school, going to school, on a school field trip, or mentioning going to school that day, has to be on a weekday, Monday through Friday. Any day depicted showing everyone home, or doing things and school is not depicted, or mentioned as above, then must be on a weekend. At least you'd think so until you work out that John's Birthday falls on November 14, a Wednesday and instead of going to school he's decrypting Sarkissian's hard drive. And that two days before within the same episode, he's waiting outside an Internet Cafe, with Derek, on a Monday instead of going to school. I have to assume that takes place prior to school or just after judging by the long shadows outside. I'm going with before school.

I find it odd John would take two day's off from school in the middle of the month when in Day 1 of S01E07 "The Demon Hand," John says he has to go to school as absent puts him on the radar. Don't worry, I worked out a solution that also ties up some loose threads from Season 1, and begin setting up the events of Season 2, as you've already seen with Catherine Weaver, and two other ladies of our acquaintance, but you'll have to wait until the next chapter to read about them.

Oh yeah! In the next chapter, I provide a feasible reason why John's birthday in TSCC falls on November 14 and not February 28, as shown in "Terminator 2." The one thing I could not fix is the error in TSCC which places John's birth 6 months before the events in the first film, "The Terminator," which James Cameron said the film was set in the year it was released, 1984.

Go ahead. Do the math. If John had not time traveled forward eight years, he would have turned 16 in November 1999 as the pilot episode was set in August 1999. Subtract 16 from 1999, and you get 1983. So somehow, John was born some six months before Kyle Reese arrived in May 1984 and knocked up 19 year old, Sarah Connor.

They had some very good writers on TSCC, but neither were they good researchers nor even adequate mathematicians. Maybe they had their reasons for the inaccuracies, but it's no excuse for making them so blatantly obvious.

Expect the next chapter in about 6 to 8 weeks.

Until next time,

The1Russter


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